Summary: November 20, 2001: Intervention on behalf of the EU by H.E.M. Jean de Ruyt, Permanent Representative of Belgium to the UN. Children and armed conflict (New York)
Madam President,
I have the honor to speak on behalf of the European Union. The countries of Central and Eastern Europe associated with the European Union, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, the associated countries of Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and Liechtenstein, EFTA country belonging to the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.
Madam President,
We should like to begin by thanking the Secretary-General for his very detailed and thorough report, the recommendations of which should enable us to tackle the problem of children and armed conflict head-on. Unfortunately, Madam President, the Secretary-General's report is also a reminder to us of the tragic situation of children in armed conflict and the long way still to go to protect them from conflict and its devastating consequences, both direct and indirect. Reading the report, we are
struck by the number and the variety of ways in which children are involved in armed conflict: millions of children are the innocent first victims of conflicts which destroy their future, and at the same time the future of their countries.
The Secretary-General's recommendations are rightly addressed to a number of actors. It is indeed the international community as a whole, which bears responsibility for their implementation. In this connection, we welcome the commitment displayed by the Secretary-General and his Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Mr. Olara Otunno. We reiterate our support for their work, and for that of the United Nations Children's Fund, the High Commissioner for Refugees and the High
Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, we would stress that over and above these efforts, it is the Member States which each individually bear responsibility for implementing the agreed standards in these matters.
Madam President, we are pleased that the Security Council is giving its attention to this issue, for that signals unequivocal recognition that the protection, to which children are entitled, in particular under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, is always an essential factor in building peace and lasting security. The European Union calls on the Member States to implement Security Council resolutions 1344 (2000) and 1261 (1999) on children and armed conflict and welcomes the adoption of
a new resolution by the Council. This resolution confirms the strong commitment of the international community in this regard, by broadening its scope and by enlarging its means as compared to last year.
Since this complex issue is to be discussed in depth at the Special Session of the General Assembly on Children to be held in May next year, I should like here to expand on the aspects directly relating to the responsibilities of your august Council.
Firstly, Madam President, we welcome the special child-related provisions which the Security Council has included in a number of its recent resolutions, in particular resolution 1355 renewing the mandate of MONUC, which contains a specific paragraph on child protection. It is indeed vital that these considerations be taken into account, firstly in dialogues for peace and the ensuing peace agreements and then in the mandates of UN peacekeeping operations and peace consolidation programmes where
appropriate. We are thinking in particular of the programmes to disarm, demobilize and reintegrate child combatants and of the right of child refugees and internally displaced children to assistance and protection. It is also worth repeating that humanitarian personnel must have full, safe and unhindered access to children affected by armed conflict.
We warmly welcome the fact that child protection advisers and child-focused human rights officers are, where appropriate, to be part of the personnel of peacekeeping operations. This extra expertise will make for a deeper appreciation of the problems and, not least, enable us to adapt our action to the particular needs of each operation. Here we would refer specifically to the special needs of girls, who require particular attention.
Generally speaking, it is vital that all civilians and all military and police forces involved in peacekeeping operations receive training in children's rights, child protection and international humanitarian law.
But to be truly effective, Madam President, we must also engage in conflict prevention measures aimed particularly at children. There is an urgent need to put a stop to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflicts in violation of international law, including the obligations imposed by the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. May I remind you that that Protocol prohibits the participation of children under 18 in armed conflicts? We look forward to the
Protocol's entry into force next February. I would also mention the Rome Statute, which makes it a war crime to recruit children under the age of 15.
Madam President,
As the Secretary-General's report stresses, the Security Council regularly deals with issues which directly or indirectly involve children: child soldiers, the question of small arms, HIV/AIDS and peacekeeping operations, illicit exploitation of natural resources, conflict prevention, etc… Wherever necessary the approach to all these problems must include a "child" dimension.
Madam President,
No peace can be lasting unless children are involved in its consolidation. The Special Session of the General Assembly on Children is crucial in this respect. It represents a unique opportunity for all of us to pool our efforts and define a global strategy to promote and protect the rights of the child. Peace is without doubt the most precious possession that we can offer them, and requires our unconditional voluntary commitment.
Thank you, Madam President.
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